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2 Russian opposition activists go on trial

The Associated Press

Updated:
02/18/2014 04:01:31 AM EST

MOSCOW—Two Russian opposition activists went on trial for their role in organizing protests after the elections in 2012.

Sergei Udaltsov and Leonid Razvozzhayev face up to 10 years in prison on charges for organizing mass riots and colluding to commit a crime. They both deny the charges. Their trial began Tuesday at a Moscow court.

They were detained in October 2012 after a Kremlin-controlled TV station aired a documentary containing footage allegedly showing them meeting with a foreign politician to discuss funding for protests against President Vladimir Putin.

Udaltsov, who was a prominent member of the street protest movement, has disappeared from public view after he was put under house arrest and forbidden from speaking on the phone or using a computer.